TechSkimm

Most service firms still rely on spreadsheets for projects

A new report from Certinia found 62% of professional service firms still use spreadsheets for project management, edging out even specialized software. The study, based on 1,000 manager and executive surveys, points to these workarounds and untrusted data as major barriers to getting real benefits from AI. Firms are changing how they work and make money, but shaky data is a sticking point.

Why it mattersWithout trusted, integrated data, companies struggle to use AI in ways that actually help the business. The dominance of spreadsheets shows how far even big firms still have to go.

Sources covering this

diginomicaCertinia 2026 Global Service Dynamics Report - spreadsheets and data sprawl hold back AI gains3:12 PM

More in Enterprise

1 sources · 3h ago

Google Data Cloud adds new AI and analytics tools

Google just launched several new features for its Data Cloud. BigQuery now supports stateful processing in streaming queries, letting you do things like rolling averages in real time (currently in preview). There’s also a ready-to-use synthetic data generator for Managed Kafka, now generally available. And Lakehouse managed tables for Apache Iceberg are in preview, promising easier data management and cross-tool compatibility. Updates to Dataflow pipelines are also rolling out.

1 sources · 2h ago

Salesforce launches new Agentforce bundles with built-in AI

Salesforce just unveiled three bundled versions—Core, Advanced, and Max—of its Agentforce tools for sales, service, and industry customers. These bundles now include built-in AI, Slack, upgraded analytics, enterprise-level security, and customer support, all for a single price. The Max edition, according to Salesforce, offers 60% more value than the previous Agentforce 1, with existing customers able to upgrade at no extra charge.

1 sources · 2h ago

Salesforce details Engineering360 operational data platform

Salesforce has unveiled Engineering360, its new operational intelligence platform designed to integrate data from various sources within the company’s engineering operations. The system brings together records from code repositories, incident logs, and performance metrics, consolidating ninety billion records in real time. Salesforce says Engineering360 provides a unified, actionable view of enterprise data, seeking to enable faster decision-making for its engineering teams across its product portfolio.

1 sources · 2h ago

Databricks Shares Guide for High-Quality Data Products

Databricks has published recommendations on building high-quality, trustworthy data products, emphasizing the importance of data quality and usability for organizations making data-driven decisions. The company encourages assigning dedicated data product owners and applying "product thinking" to manage and monitor data assets, whether or not enterprises use a data mesh structure. The advice is aimed at helping users deliver the right data in the right format, reliably.